Allied Warships

HMS Urchin (ii) (R 99)

Destroyer of the U class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	U
Pennant	R 99
Built by	Vickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.)
Ordered	12 Jun 1941
Laid down	28 Mar 1942
Launched	8 Mar 1943
Commissioned	24 Sep 1943
End service
History	Reconstructed as Type 15 frigate during 1952-1954. Scrapped at Troon in August 1967.

Commands listed for HMS Urchin (ii) (R 99)

Please note that we're still working on this section.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. John Travis Beaufoy Birch, DSO, DSC, RN	9 Aug 1943	28 Jun 1944
2	Lt.Cdr. Archibald Ferguson Harkness, DSC, OBE, RD, RNR	28 Jun 1944	19 Sep 1945
3	Lt.Cdr. Denis Roy Newton Murdoch, RN	19 Sep 1945	mid 1946

You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.

Notable events involving Urchin (ii) include:

18 Oct 1943
HMS Storm (T/Lt. E.P. Young, DSC, RNVR) conducted A/S exercises with HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Scorpion (Lt.Cdr. W.S. Clouston, RN).

Upon completion of the exercises Storm departed Scapa Flow for Holy Loch. She made the passage together with the British submarine HMS H 43 (Lt. C.A.J. Nicoll, RN) and the Dutch submarine HrMs K XV (Lt.Cdr. Baron C.W.T. van Boetzelaer, RNN). They were escorted by the British armed yacht HMS Cutty Sark (Cdr.(Retd.) R.H. Mack, RN). (1)

20 Oct 1943
HMS Uther (Lt. P.S. Beale, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Scapa Flow with HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Ophelia (T/Lt. D.J. Duncan, RNVR). (2)

6 Nov 1943
HMS Spiteful (Lt.Cdr. F.H. Sherwood, DSC, RCNVR) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with HMS Oribi (Lt.Cdr. J.C.A. Ingram, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN), HMCS Iroquois (Cdr. J.C. Hibbard DSC, RCN) and HMS Orwell (Lt.Cdr. J.M. Hodges, DSO, RN). (3)

14 Nov 1943
HMS Spiteful (Lt.Cdr. F.H. Sherwood, DSC, RCNVR) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Virago (Lt.Cdr. A.J.R. White, RN). (3)

17 Nov 1943
HMS Spiteful (Lt.Cdr. F.H. Sherwood, DSC, RCNVR) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN), HNoMS Stord (Lt.Cdr. S.V. Storheill, RNorN), HMIS Cauvery (A/Cdr. A.W. Beeton, RIN) and HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN).

On completion of these exercises HMS Spiteful departed Scapa Flow for Holy Loch. She was escorted by HMS Cutty Sark (Cdr.(Retd.) R.H. Mack, RN). (3)

15 May 1944
HMS Voracious (Lt. F.D.G. Challis, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises at/off Scapa Flow with HMS Grenville (Capt. H.P. Henderson, RN), HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Undine (Cdr. T.C. Robinson, RN). (4)

16 May 1944
HMS Voracious (Lt. F.D.G. Challis, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises at/off Scapa Flow with HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. J.T.B. Birch, DSO, DSC, RN), HMS Nubian (Lt.Cdr. T.A. Pack-Beresford, RN) and HMS Grenville (Capt. H.P. Henderson, RN). (4)

11 Dec 1944
HMS Sibyl (Lt. H.R. Murray, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Scapa Flow together with HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Harkness, DSC, OBE, RD, RNR) and HMS Ulster (Lt.Cdr. R.J. Hanson, DSO and Bar, DSC, RN). (5)

25 Jun 1945
HMS Vox (Lt. W.E.I. Littlejohn, DSC, RANVR) conducted A/S exercises off Sydney with HMS Undine (Cdr. T.C. Robinson, RN), HMS Ulysses, HMS Urania (Lt.Cdr. J.M. Alliston, DSO, DSC, RN), HMS Grenville (Capt. R.G. Onslow, DSO, RN), HMCS Undaunted (Lt.Cdr. C.E.R. Sharp, RN) and HMS Urchin (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Harkness, DSC, OBE, RD, RNR). (6)